Dental shade mapping

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for obtaining a color mapping of a dental object. Illumination is directed toward the object over at least a first and second wavelength band, one band at a time. An image of the dental object is captured at each wavelength band to form a set of images of the dental object. For pixels in the captured set of images, an image data value for the pixel corresponds to each of the wavelength bands and calculates interpolated image data values proportional to the spectral reflectance of the dental object, according to the obtained image data values and according to image data values obtained from a reference object at the wavelength bands. Spectral distribution data for a viewing illuminant is obtained and the visual color of the dental object reconstructed according to the calculated interpolated image data values and the obtained spectral distribution of the viewing illuminant.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a Continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 12/834,927, entitled “DENTAL SHADE MAPPING”, filed on 13 Jul. 2010 in the names of Wong et al., which published as US 2012/0014572, incorporated herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to methods and systems for dental color measurement and more particularly relates to a digital method and system for determining color shade information for natural teeth, reference shade samples, and fabricated dental prostheses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern restorative dental procedures often require accurate color matching, such as for filling materials and for the fabrication of restorations such as crowns, implants, fixed partial dentures, and veneers. The materials used for these procedures, such as ceramics and other materials, can be skillfully formed and treated to closely match the shape, texture, color and translucency of natural teeth.

A widely used technique for determining and communicating tooth color information is a process referred to as “shade matching” whereby the dentist or technician visually matches a patient's tooth to one of a number of reference shade samples or shade tabs within one or more sets of standardized shade guides. The practitioner who performs the match records the identification of the matching shade tab and conveys that information to the dental laboratory where the restoration or prosthesis is then fabricated. The laboratory then uses its own set of the same shade guides to perform visual color evaluations of the restoration or prosthesis throughout the fabrication process.

The visual shade matching process can be highly subjective and subject to a number of problems. The initial matching procedure is often difficult and tedious, and it is not unusual for the process to take twenty minutes or longer. In many cases, there is no shade tab that perfectly matches the patient's teeth.

The problem of accurately modeling the color of a tooth is more complex than obtaining a close color match using shade tabs. The inherent shortcomings and limitations of both instrument-based and visual-based shade-matching systems can be more fully appreciated by considering the difficulties involved in matching the appearance of human teeth. Tooth color itself results from a relatively complex interaction of reflection, transmission, refraction, fluorescence, and scattering by a variety of organic and inorganic components. It is influenced by variations in tooth pulp volume, dentin condition, enamel composition, and other variations in the composition, structure, and thickness of the dental tissues. One result of this complexity is that color appearance and color measurement are greatly influenced by lighting geometry, surrounding colors, and other environmental factors.

As a further complication, color within a single tooth is generally not uniform. Color non-uniformities can result from spatial variations in composition, structure, thickness, internal and external stains, surface texture, fissures, cracks, and degree of wetness. As a result, measurements taken over relatively large areas produce averaged values that may not be representative of a tooth's dominant color. In addition, natural color variations and non-uniformities make it unlikely that a given tooth can be matched exactly by any single shade tab. This means that a method for conveying the distribution of color within a tooth, not just its average color, is required. Further, tooth color is seldom uniform from tooth to tooth. Therefore, the ideal color of a restoration may not be in visual harmony with that of an adjacent tooth or of any other single tooth in a patient's mouth. Moreover, people generally are particular about the appearance of their teeth. Understandably, they are quite intolerant of restorations that appear inappropriate in color.

In cosmetic dentistry, the fabrication lab often requires additional information in order to more accurately map tooth color in addition to simple shade matching. In practice, the dentist or technician may provide a photograph in addition to a shade tab, so that the fabrication lab can adjust color characteristics over different portions of the tooth. This helps to provide a type of color mapping for subjective use, with information that relates to the shade tab and shows how colors in other portions of the tooth vary from that of the shade tab.

It is often difficult to decide which tab matches most closely (or, conversely, which has the least mismatch) and to provide accurate information on color variation over the tooth surface. Frequently, the practitioner determines that the patient's teeth are particularly difficult to match, requiring that the patient then go in person to the orthodontics laboratory that will be fabricating the restoration. There, trained laboratory personnel can perform the color match and color mapping. In many cases, the patient may even need to return to the dentist and laboratory two, three, or even more times as the color of the prosthesis is fine tuned by sequential additions of ceramics or other colored materials. In a high percentage of cases, estimated to be nearly 10% for some dental prostheses, the visual color matching procedure still fails and the prosthesis that has been fabricated is rejected for color or visual harmony by the dentist or by the patient.

Considering the relative difficulty of the color matching task, and the further complexity of color mapping, a high rate of failure is not at all surprising. Visual color evaluation of relatively small color differences is always difficult, and the conditions under which dental color evaluations must be made are likely to give rise to a number of complicating psychophysical effects such as local chromatic adaptation, local brightness adaptation, and lateral-brightness adaptation. Moreover, shade tabs provide at best a metameric (that is, non-spectral) match to real teeth; thus, the matching is illuminant-sensitive and subject to variability due to normal variations in human color vision, such as observer metamerism, for example.

In response to the need for improved color matching and color mapping in dental applications, a number of approaches have been attempted. Conventional solutions to this problem are of the following general types:

(i) RGB-based devices. With this approach, an image of the entire tooth is captured under white light illumination using a color sensor. Tristimulus values are calculated over areas of the tooth surface from RGB (Red, Green, Blue) values of the 3-color channels of sensor, making use of a color calibration transform. Color analysis by RGB-based devices relies heavily on the quality of the captured image and requires robust calibration and may require use of the same camera for color-matching of tooth and prosthetic device. This requirement can be due to calibration of the camera itself as well as to color preprocessing that is performed within the camera in order to provide the RGB data; this preprocessing can vary significantly from one camera to the next, even for cameras from the same manufacturer. Maintaining accuracy tends to be difficult and measurements are compromised due to metamerism, in which the color measured is highly dependent upon the illuminant. This is particularly troublesome since dental measurement and imaging are generally carried out under conditions that differ significantly from natural lighting conditions. Examples using RGB measurement and employing a corresponding color transform in this way include: U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,006 entitled “Tooth Shade Analyzer System and Methods” to Murljacic; U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,905 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Determining the Appearance of an Object” to Breton, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,064,830 entitled “Dental Color Imaging System” to Giorgianni et al.

(ii) Colorimetric devices. Devices of this type are engineered to directly measure color as perceived by the human eye. With this type of device, illuminating light or reflected light (under white light illumination) is filtered at the three wavelength bands that correspond to the spectral response characteristic or color matching functions of the eye, and measured reflected signals are directly translated into tristimulus values. As with RGB-based devices described in (i), measurements from this type of device also suffer from metamerism. Some examples using this approach include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,020 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Determining the Color of a Translucent Object Such as a Tooth” to Vieillefosse that requires a spectrometer and U.S. Pat. No. 6,867,864 entitled “Optical Measurement Device and Related Process” to Overbeck et al.

(iii) Spectrophotometric devices. These devices employ spectral reflectance for obtaining color data. Illuminating or reflected light is spectrally scanned, and light reflected by the tooth is recorded, using a photosensor, as a function of wavelength. Visual color, that is, CIE (Commission Internationale de L'Éclairage or International Commission on Illumination) tristimulus color information, is then calculated from the measured spectral reflectance curve. Spectrophotometric devices are not subject to the same tendency to metamerism inherent to colorimetric and RGB-based devices and, potentially, yield more accurate color measurements. It is significant to note, however, that the spectrophotometer is not an imaging device. The spectrophotometer is an instrument that measures the spectral content of incoming light over a small area using a photosensor. Examples of tooth color measurement using spectrophotometric devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,674 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Determining Color, in Particular of a Dental Prosthesis” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,024 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Determining the Color Stimulus Specification of an Object” to Berner.

Although the data obtained using the spectrophotometric approach provides advantages for color matching over colorimetric and RGB approaches, including elimination of metamerism, this approach has been found difficult to implement in practice. The use of a light scanning component for measuring different spectral components, generally employing a grating or filter wheel, tends to make the spectrophotometric system fairly bulky and complex. This makes it difficult to measure teeth toward the back of the mouth, for example. Attempts to alleviate this problem have not shown great success. As one example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,229 entitled “Apparatus for Determining Optical Characteristics of an Object” to Jung et al. provides a compact spectrophotometric device employing optical fibers to channel reflected light to an array of sensors, each sensor using a different spectral filter. However, as is true of spectrophotometric devices in general (iii, above), this device measures only a small area of the tooth surface at a time. To obtain a color mapping of an entire tooth surface requires numerous separate measurements with this approach. The image capture process is time-consuming and does not provide consistent results. Color mappings can be inaccurate using such an approach, since there can be considerable sensitivity to illumination and image capture angles and probe orientation during the imaging process.

In general, conventional methods that employ color filters, either at the illuminant end or at the sensor end, can be less desirable because they are subject to the limitations of the filter itself.

Thus, there is a need for an improved measurement apparatus that provides dental shade matching and mapping in a procedure that is straightforward to execute, having a high degree of accuracy, but without high cost or complex components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to advance the art of color shade mapping in dental applications. With this object in mind, the present invention provides an apparatus and method that obtains spectral reflectance data from multi-color images of the tooth without the complexity of using a spectrophotometer.

An advantage of the present invention is that it employs an imaging array for obtaining spectrophotometric measurements over the full image. This promotes adaption for intraoral camera use. In addition, the output spectrophotometric color data that is provided is not subject to metamerism, which affects solutions that use colorimetric and RGB color matching techniques. The approach employed in particular embodiments of the present invention obtains spectral reflectance data for each pixel of the tooth image, allowing accurate mapping of tooth color, including variation in color over different portions of the tooth.

These objects are given only by way of illustrative example, and such objects may be exemplary of one or more embodiments of the invention. Other desirable objectives and advantages inherently achieved by the disclosed invention may occur or become apparent to those skilled in the art. The invention is defined by the appended claims.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for obtaining a color mapping for a dental object, the method comprising: directing illumination toward the dental object over at least a first, a second, and a third wavelength band, one wavelength band at a time; capturing, on an imaging array, an image of the dental object at each illumination wavelength band to form a set of images of the dental object; for each of a plurality of pixels in the captured set of images: (i) obtaining an image data value for the pixel corresponding to each of the at least first, second, and third wavelength bands; (ii) calculating a plurality of interpolated image data values proportional to the spectral reflectance of the dental object, according to the obtained image data values and according to image data values obtained from a reference object at the at least first, second, and third wavelength bands; obtaining spectral distribution data for a viewing illuminant; reconstructing the visual color of the dental object according to the calculated interpolated image data values and the obtained spectral distribution of the viewing illuminant; and storing at least the reconstructed visual color as data in a computer-accessible memory.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of components in a conventional image-based apparatus for obtaining a color measurement for a tooth.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an earlier method that makes use of a colorimetric transform for obtaining tooth color values.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram that shows a color mapping apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a graph showing intensity measurements related to specific wavelengths.

FIG. 4B is a graph that shows how interpolation is used to generate a curve for points between the measured data of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4C is a graph showing typical spectral characteristics for light sources used in one embodiment.

FIG. 4D is a graph showing a spectral response characteristic for a broadband sensor array in one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a logic flow diagram of steps for obtaining spectral data from a tooth.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing discrete interpolated values related to measured values.

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram showing the tristimulus data obtained for each pixel using conventional color matching.

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram showing the spectral reflectance data obtained for each pixel using the apparatus and methods of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made to U.S. Ser. No. 12/834,921, entitled “DENTAL SHADE MAPPING”, filed on 13 Jul. 2010 in the names of Wong et al., which published as US 2012/0014571, and which is commonly assigned.

The following is a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, reference being made to the drawings in which the same reference numerals identify the same elements of structure in each of the several figures.

In the context of the present application, the term “narrow band” is used to describe LED or other illumination sources that emit most of their output light over a narrow range of wavelengths, such as 20-50 nm wide. The term “broadband” is used to describe a light sensor that exhibits high sensitivity to incident light over a wide wavelength range extending at least from about 400 nm to about 700 nm. Because this type of sensor responds to light but does not distinguish color, it is often referred to as a “monochrome” sensor or, somewhat inaccurately, as a “black-and-white” sensor.

In the context of the present application, the term “pixel”, for “pixel element”, has its common meaning as the term is understood to those skilled in the image processing arts. An electronic image of an object is captured by an array of light-sensitive elements, each of which provides the signal for forming a pixel of image data.

Figures shown and described herein are provided in order to illustrate key principles of operation and component relationships along their respective optical paths according to the present invention and are not drawn with intent to show actual size or scale. Some exaggeration may be necessary in order to emphasize basic structural relationships or principles of operation. Some conventional components that would be needed for implementation of the described embodiments, such as various types of optical mounts, for example, are not shown in the drawings in order to simplify description of the invention itself. In the drawings and text that follow, like components are designated with like reference numerals, and similar descriptions concerning components and arrangement or interaction of components already described are omitted. Where they are used, the terms “first”, “second”, and so on, do not necessarily denote any ordinal or priority relation, but are simply used to more clearly distinguish one element from another.

The terms “color” and “wavelength band” are generally synonymous as used in the context of the present disclosure. For example, a laser or other solid-state light source is referred to by its general color, such as Red, rather than by its peak output wavelength (such as 635 nm) or its wavelength band (such as 630-640 nm).

The term “set”, as used herein, refers to a non-empty set, as the concept of a collection of elements or members of a set is widely understood in elementary mathematics. The term “subset”, unless otherwise explicitly stated, is used herein to refer to a non-empty proper subset, that is, to a subset of the larger set, having one or more members. For a set S, a subset may comprise the complete set S. A “proper subset” of set S, however, is strictly contained in set S and excludes at least one member of set S.

In the context of the present disclosure, the term “dental object” refers to an object, material, or other element for intra-oral use or application and includes teeth, prosthetic devices such as crowns, dentures, braces and other supports and bridges, filling materials, shade-matching tabs, and the like.

In contrast to some attempts at characterizing tooth color, the apparatus and methods of the present invention take into account a combination of factors that affect color measurement and that complicate the task of accurately characterizing color. For example, particular embodiments of the present invention identify and compensate for variable factors such as illumination wavelengths and detector response characteristics in order to derive accurate color data. To do this, the approach that is used in embodiments of the present invention obtains, for each pixel in the image of a tooth or other dental object, spectral reflectance data that is substantially independent of the spectral response of the measurement device and that can be used to provide an objective measure of color that applies for illuminant over any combination of wavelengths. As a result, the data that is obtained for tooth color mapping in the present invention can be used to reconstruct the visual color of an object when viewed under any illuminant taken from a set of available illuminants with known spectral distributions. The color mapping that is generated for a dental object can then be used for generating a displayed image or used for comparison against color mapping data for another object or material, such as a crown or other dental prosthetic device or a filling material. The color mapping that is generated for a dental object can also be used for designing and forming a dental prosthetic device, for example. A color mapping for a tooth or other dental object can consist of a considerable amount of data and is typically stored as a data file in a computer-accessible memory.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic block diagram of a conventional imaging apparatus 10 for obtaining dental color data. An illumination source 12 directs light onto a tooth 20. A capture module 18 then performs image capture and provides image data to a color reconstruction module 22. The output is a set of visual color values that correspond to points on the tooth surface.

The basic arrangement of FIG. 1 is used for each of the image-based color measurement approaches described earlier in the background section. FIG. 2, for example, shows a schematic diagram for implementing the system described in the commonly assigned Giorgianni et al. '830 patent cited earlier. In an imaging apparatus 30, illumination source 12 provides white light illumination to tooth 20. A lens 32 directs reflected light to a sensor 34 that provides corresponding Red, Green, and Blue values for each pixel. A color calibration transform 36 then generates visual color values as output for every image point.

In contrast to the approaches shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus and methods of the present invention provide a color mapping apparatus that utilizes color reconstruction based on spectral reflectance. This approach is advantaged over RGB-based and colorimetric devices by providing an inherently more accurate set of data on the actual color characteristics of the tooth. Advantageously, this method is not subject to metamerism, which would otherwise render measurements dependent on the illuminant of the measuring system. Unlike spectrophotometric measurement devices in general, the apparatus and method of the present invention obtain spectral data for each pixel in the tooth image. Moreover, this information is obtained using an imaging array rather than a photosensor.

The apparatus and methods of the present invention obtain not only an accurate color measurement for a single pixel or grouping of adjacent pixels, but, because they use an imaging device, also provide suitable information for accurate color mapping over the full image of the dental object. By obtaining spectral measurement data using an imaging array, embodiments of the present invention obtain measurements that allow spectral data to be generated for each pixel of the tooth image.

Referring to the schematic diagram of FIG. 3, a color measuring and spectral reflectance mapping apparatus 40 uses an illumination apparatus 24 that can provide light of separate colors. In one embodiment, illumination apparatus 24 consists of multiple narrow band light sources 14 b, 14 g, 14 y, and 14 r, shown as color LEDs, having wavelength bands λ1, λ2, λ3, and λ4, respectively. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, four LEDs are shown by way of example; there can be any number of different colors and more than a single LED or other light source for each color. A broadband imaging sensor array 44, a CCD (charge-coupled device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) imaging array in this embodiment, provides a set of output values for each pixel corresponding to reflection from each narrow band light source. A reference target 28 is optionally provided as a reference object for obtaining reference intensity measurements used in correcting for intensity fluctuations in the system, as described subsequently. In one embodiment, reference target 28 is a gray patch, with known spectral reflectance characteristics. Reference target 28 and tooth 20 are both within the field of view of imaging lens 32. In an alternate embodiment, reference target 28 does not appear in the image field, but is a separate device or object used for obtaining reference and calibration data.

In order to obtain the spectral data using the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the LEDs or other light sources can be energized according to color groups, one color group at a time in rapid succession, and the corresponding measurements of reflected light are obtained by imaging sensor array 44. As shown in thumbnail form in FIG. 3, this effectively provides, for each pixel of the tooth image, a number of points on a graph, one intensity reading corresponding to each of wavelength bands λ1, λ2, λ3, and λ4 in this example.

A spectral reflectance interpolation model 46 then generates the full spectral reflectance curve using these points and interpolates the points between these measured values using one of a number of calculation techniques. The result is a spectral reflectance curve for each individual pixel of the tooth image. This data provides a color mapping that more accurately represents a color shade than do earlier methods that simply attempt to measure tristimulus values directly or perform color conversion from RGB to a standard color space, such as hue-saturation-brightness value (HSV) or Commission Internationale de L'Éclairage L*a*b* (CIELAB) color space, for example. Also shown in FIG. 3 is control logic processor 38, which performs control logic processing and contains supporting electronic memory components that execute these processing functions and store interim and final results. Such components are familiar to those skilled in the imaging arts.

The graph of FIG. 4A shows an example in which four discrete intensity measurements are obtained for a pixel, one for each light source 14 b, 14 g, 14 y, and 14 r, corresponding respectively to wavelength bands λ1, λ2, λ3, λ4. This yields four points in a graph of intensity vs. wavelength, as shown. The full spectral reflectance characteristic has a value at each wavelength, however. Thus, some type of interpolation is needed in order to obtain the complete spectral reflectance curve for the pixel, as shown by way of example in FIG. 4B.

Taking accurate measurements requires knowledge of different energy levels and measurement sensitivities in the system. As FIG. 4C shows, each narrow-band light source, an LED in this embodiment, provides an output intensity over a constrained range. Wavelength bands λ1, λ2, λ3, and λ4 are identified by the nominal wavelengths at which these intensity curves peak.

Broadband sensor array 44 can be any type of sensor array that measures the amount of reflected light that corresponds to the illumination apparatus 24 component that is energized and that provides a measured value for each pixel. In one embodiment, broadband sensor array 44 has a broad spectral response characteristic over the visible wavelength range. This is distinctly different from the “color matching functions” of the eye or the spectral response of a color sensor array, both of which have significant values only in isolated bands of the visible wavelengths. For example, the monochrome CCD imaging array may have a typical quantum efficiency curve as shown in the example of FIG. 4D. This device measures the amount of reflected light that corresponds to each light source 14 b, 14 g, 14 y, and 14 r, as it is illuminated and provides an output signal that is indicative of the sensed light intensity received. Because the peak wavelength and bandwidth of the LED light source is known, the measured value can be readily associated with a wavelength, without the need for a color filter array (CFA) or other filtering component.

The logic flow diagram of FIG. 5 shows steps executed by control logic processing components in color measuring and spectral reflectance mapping apparatus 40 of FIG. 3 for obtaining spectral reflectance values for a tooth in one embodiment of the present invention. A looping procedure executes once per source color, here for each LED color or other narrow-band illumination source. In an illumination step S110, the LED or other narrow-band illumination source is energized. An image capture step S120 obtains an image of tooth 20 and, optionally, of reference target 28 at the given illumination. The resulting image consists of light reflected from the tooth, captured for each pixel in image capture step S120. The reflectance point values are pixel values proportional to the actual reflectance values. The array of reflectance point values measured from the broadband sensor array is then obtained and stored in an obtain values step S130. The loop consisting of steps S110, S120, and S130 repeats until each color group of LEDs or other narrow-band light source has been energized. The net result is a set of images for the tooth or other dental object.

Continuing with the logic flow in FIG. 5, an interpolation step S140 then constructs, for each image pixel, additional values that are proportional to spectral reflectance and will be used for generating a spectral reflectance curve, according to stored point values from the preceding steps. With respect to the schematic block diagram of FIG. 3, this step is executed as part of spectral reflectance interpolation model 46. In one embodiment, this data is used to construct the spectral reflectance curve of FIG. 6 for each pixel of the tooth image. A calculation step S150 then collects and reconstructs visual color values for the tooth region using the interpolated values from step S140, spectral distribution data for a viewing illuminant, and the CIE viewer matching function. The output visual color values can then be used to more accurately communicate the true color content of the tooth, without metamerism or other effects of the illumination system. These values can be used for image rendering and can be stored in a computer-accessible electronic memory for future use. The memory itself can be a random-access device, for short-term storage, or an optical or magnetic storage unit, for longer-term storage. The color mapping can be generated as needed, so that memory storage is a temporary “workspace”, and is used by control logic processor 38 only for the duration of performing a color match or comparison, or during display of an image for example. Alternately, control logic processor 38 can store a color mapping for a longer term, such as part of a database of color mappings, indexed by illuminant types, for example. Once the color mapping is formed and is available in computer-accessible memory, it can be used for comparison against corresponding color mapping data for a prosthetic device or material, for example.

It is noted that the sequence of FIG. 5 allows color matching under any of a set of illuminant conditions. The color mapping data that is collected can be used to calculate the color that is best matched with any source of viewing light, including incandescent light, fluorescent light, natural light or sunlight, or other source. Thus, for example, the color mapping data that is obtained in a dentist's office can be used to determine the best matched color for prosthesis viewed in natural light (sunlight), or for prosthesis viewed under stage lighting, such as for a model or performer, or for prosthesis viewed in fluorescent lighting in office environment, or other lighting conditions. This is an advantage of the method of the present invention over earlier RGB and colorimetric methods in which the color mapping and color match were constrained to the specific lighting conditions used in making the color measurement, which could be very different from the lighting condition that matters most to the patient.

The information obtained from the process of FIG. 5 can be stored and used in a number of ways. The visual color values that are generated can be directly used to render the mapping for display, for example, or can be encoded in some way and stored in memory. Spectral reflectance values can be correlated with other tooth image data and provided to a dental laboratory or other facility for which accurate color characterization is useful. Mapping interpolation coefficients, described subsequently in more detail, can alternately be stored along with measured or calculated pixel values.

The graph of FIG. 6 shows the results of processing in steps S140 and S150 of the logic sequence described with respect to FIG. 5, as applied to each pixel of the tooth image. Measured values are used to provide data that is proportional to spectral reflectance and that is used to define the characteristic spectral reflectance curve. A number of interpolated values are then provided for wavelengths lying between and outside the measured values. Using conventional terminology for applied interpolation techniques, the measured values shown in FIG. 6 are considered to be “knots”, with interpolated values along the segments between the knots.

Various suitable interpolation methods can be used for determining the interpolated values. In one embodiment, simple linear interpolation is used, based on a linear relationship of measured values. Other, more complex interpolation schemes well known in the art include higher-order spline-fitting algorithms, such as cubic splines, for example. The more complex spline-fitting techniques may use polynomial methods to achieve a smoother interpolation curve.

Another interpolation method uses least-squares interpolation. This method seeks to minimize the distance between the values as calculated by the interpolation algorithm and actual values measured.

It is noted that the method described in FIG. 5 obtains the multiple measurements shown in the example of FIG. 6 for each pixel of the tooth image in one embodiment. This is potentially a sizable amount of data, but provides a full characterization of the spectral content of the tooth image, pixel by pixel. The data collected for the tooth image is non-metameric, thus eliminating the undesirable effects of illumination dependence that can compromise the color data when conventional colorimetric, RGB, or visually matched systems are employed for color mapping.

Calculation Procedure

As noted earlier, the apparatus and method of the present invention generate and use a significant amount of spectral data based on a few measurements. Calculation step S150 of FIG. 5 can be used to generate any type of useful color data information that can be extracted from the array of spectral reflectance values, and thus to convert this large volume of data to a more readily usable form. CIE tristimulus X, Y, Z values for one or more pixels provide one useful mechanism for representing color data obtained from these measurements according to visual response characteristics.

As has been noted earlier, the task of obtaining accurate color measurement using conventional methods is confounded by variables of illumination and sensor response. These problems are addressed by the improved method of the present invention. The generalized measured signal S_(i(tooth)) that is obtained for a particular wavelength λ, for LED illumination in the equations that follow, using color measuring and spectral reflectance mapping apparatus 40, can be represented as follows:

S _(i(tooth)) =∫I _(LEDi)(λ)R ₀(λ)D(λ)dλ  (1)

wherein R₀ is the actual reflectance of the tooth or other dental object. This variable is also expressed, with reference to the tooth material, as R_(tooth); D(λ) is the sensor response; I_(LEDi) is the intensity of the i^(th) LED or other narrow-band light source.

It can be observed that equation (1) holds true for color measurement of the tooth in general, whether using RGB or white light sources and whether the image sensor array is a CCD, CMOS, or other type of light sensing device. It is particularly instructive to note that conventional tooth color measurement devices, such as RGB-based color measurement devices and colorimetric measurement devices, generate the tooth color values directly from measured signal S_(i(tooth)). As equation (1) shows, however, this signal is itself the product of three variable factors: the actual tooth reflectance R₀, the illuminant, and sensor response. It is due to the dependency of this measurement on the light source and on sensor response that accurate color computation is not obtained with a conventional RGB-based or colorimetric measurement apparatus. However, unlike conventional solutions, the approach of the present invention isolates tooth reflectance R₀ from the other two factors in the measured signal. The obtained reflectance R₀ can then be used to accurately characterize color under any lighting conditions. In this way, the method of the present invention employs a spectrophotometric approach to color characterization. However, unlike conventional spectrophotometric instruments that obtain one or more measurements to extract this data for a single photosensor at one location on the object, the apparatus and methods of the present invention obtain this data using well-characterized narrow-band light sources with a monochrome sensor array that captures a mapping of spectrophotometric data for the full object.

In embodiments of the present invention, multiple signal values S_(i(tooth)) are obtained, one for each of the N LED color light sources indexed i (i=1, 2, . . . , N). As equation (1) shows, in order to provide accurate and consistent measurement using S_(i(tooth)), it is necessary to compensate for short-term changes in the device, such as from fluctuations in illuminant intensity and/or sensor response D(λ). For this reason, as part of the imaging process, a reference target measurement S_(i(ref)) is optionally obtained for use as calibration reference:

S _(i(ref)) =∫I _(LEDi)(λ)R _(ref)(λ)D(λ)dλ  (2)

wherein R_(ref) is the reflectance of reference target 28. This value is obtained using image readings from reference target 28 (FIG. 3), which is positioned within the same captured field of view as the tooth in one embodiment. In an alternate embodiment, image readings from reference target 28 are obtained separately, such as at the beginning of an imaging session, for example.

Given values S_(i(tooth)) and S_(i(ref)), the more useful quantity for obtaining spectral reflectance is the corrected measurement value is given by:

$\begin{matrix} {{\hat{S}}_{i} = {\frac{S_{i{({tooth})}}}{S_{i{({ref})}}}R_{{ref}{({\lambda \; i})}}}} & (3) \end{matrix}$

wherein R_(ref(λi)) is the known reflectance of the reference target 28 at the peak value of LEDi. The corrected measurement value Ŝ_(i) removes first-order sources of measurement variability and eliminates dependence on the scale of intensity or device response. From the corrected measurement value Ŝ_(i), subsequent derivations can be used to obtain visual color values to provide a highly accurate color mapping.

Each of the tristimulus color values X, Y, Z (hereafter represented by X_(q) (q=1, 2, 3), where X₁=X, X₂=Y, and X₃=Z) for each pixel can be calculated from the tooth reflectance in the following way:

X _(q) =∫I(λ)R _(tooth)(λ) x _(q)(λ)dλ  (4)

wherein the value of x _(q)(λ) is the corresponding visual color matching function of the standard observer, and I(λ) is the spectral distribution of the light source under which the tooth is viewed.

Value R_(tooth)(λ) is not directly measured by color measuring and spectral reflectance mapping apparatus 40, but can be estimated from the N corrected measured values Ŝ_(i), through the process of data interpolation. For a simple linear interpolation,

R _(tooth)(λ)=Σ_(i) ^(N)α_(i)(λ)Ŝ _(i)  (5)

wherein α_(i), are the interpolation coefficients.

Equation (5) can be used to reconstruct the full spectral reflectance curve at the pixel. The result of this processing can then be used to calculate the tristimulus values according to equation (4).

Instead of carrying out equation (5) and equation (4) as two separate steps, these two equations can be combined to directly relate the tristimulus values to the corrected measured signal Ŝ_(i). In combining equations (5) and (4), there is only a need to evaluate the two expressions at discrete wavelengths λ=λ_(k), corresponding to the peak wavelengths of the LEDs or other light sources, so that a_(i)(λ)=a_(ik). As a result, the tristimulus color values can be computed directly from the corrected measured values Ŝi, in the form:

$\begin{matrix} {{X_{q} = {\sum\limits_{k}\; {{I\left( \lambda_{k} \right)}{{\overset{\_}{x}}_{q}\left( \lambda_{k} \right)}\Delta \; \lambda {\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\; {\alpha_{ik}{\hat{S}}_{i}}}}}},} & (6) \end{matrix}$ or,

X _(q)=Σ_(i=1) ^(N) E _(qi) Ŝ _(i),  (7)

wherein the matrix equivalent:

$\begin{matrix} {E_{qi} = {\sum\limits_{k}\; {\alpha_{ik}{I\left( \lambda_{k} \right)}{{\overset{\_}{x}}_{q}\left( \lambda_{k} \right)}\Delta \; \lambda}}} & (8) \end{matrix}$

can be calculated from the particular interpolation kernel that is used, the known characteristics of the illumination for viewing the tooth, and the visual color matching function.

Employing the matrix multiplication relationship of equation (7), corrected measured values obtained from color measuring and spectral reflectance mapping apparatus 40 can be used to calculate color tristimulus values for tooth under any lighting condition with known spectral energy distribution. Applying this procedure to both teeth and shade-matching tab will yield two sets of tristimulus values from which the best match can be found. Alternatively, the tristimulus values can be converted to a different visual color space, such as the CIELAB or HSV color space, for finding the closest match between tooth and shade-matching tab.

The above approach has been described for a monochrome broadband sensor array. The same method can also be used if a conventional RGB sensor array is used to provide a signal as each LED is energized. In the case of an RGB color sensor, the color channel with the highest signal level for a particular LED illumination can be used, and the tristimulus values are still calculated according to equation (7). If all three color channels of the sensor are used for each LED illumination, tristimulus values can be calculated from the corrected measured values in a manner similar to equation (7), but with an additional matrix multiplicand, which is determined by how the signals of the multiple color channels are combined.

As disclosed in this invention, the task of obtaining a spectrophotometric color mapping of the tooth surface is simplified, and the cost of providing this data is significantly reduced over conventional alternatives.

LEDs are advantaged as light sources for obtaining spectral reflectance data according to the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the LED emits most of its light over a range of wavelengths that is less than about 40 nm. Other types of narrow band light sources could alternately be used to provide the needed illumination for reflectance measurements. Alternate types of light source include filtered light from a broadband light source, such as a lamp, for example. Four LEDs are shown in the example of FIG. 3. In general, at least 3 light sources of different wavelengths should be used; employing more than 4 light sources provides the advantage of increase number of measured points for generating the spectral reflectance curve.

Because the apparatus and methods of the present invention provide a mapping of spectral reflectance values, they give more accurate information about the true color of the tooth than is available when using conventional colorimetric or RGB-based measurement methods. Because spectral reflectance contains complete color information independent of illuminant, the color data that is obtained is not subject to error due to metamerism. By using LEDs or other small sources, without the need for gratings or other devices, the apparatus of the present invention can be packaged in a compact fashion, at low cost. For example, color measuring and spectral reflectance mapping apparatus 40 can be packaged as an intraoral camera.

Reference target 28 can be any suitable type of reference patch for providing a reference image for multi-color imaging. A white or gray patch can be used, as well as some other patch having uniform spectral content. Target 28 can be separately imaged, or it can be positioned alongside the tooth, at approximately same distance from and within the imaging field of view of sensor array 44, such as in a fixed position, or may be pivoted into position, such as by energizing an actuator, for reference imaging as needed in the imaging cycle.

A number of computation functions are required, such as for interpolation, for obtaining a matrix equivalent, for obtaining tristimulus values, and for storing and displaying results, for example. It can be appreciated that these functions can be provided by a control logic processor 38 provided with or configured to interact with the color matching and mapping apparatus of the present invention. Stored instructions, for example, configure the processor logic circuitry to execute the color mapping data access, calculations, and output functions described above. Any of a number of types of control logic processor devices, such as a dedicated computer workstation, personal computer, or an embedded system that employs a dedicated data processing component (such as a digital signal processing component) could be used for computation functions. Control logic processing apparatus access an electronic memory for data storage and retrieval. An optional display device can also be provided for displaying color match and color mapping results.

As compared to other color-matching solutions, the method and apparatus of the present invention provide a spectrophotometric or spectral reflectance color mapping that effectively stores, for each pixel in the tooth image, actual spectral reflectance data values R_((tooth)) that can be used to accurately profile the color of the tooth surface. By comparison against conventional methods that rely on RGB conversion transform or colorimetric measurements, the methods of the present invention are capable of generating a mapping that includes a considerable amount of data for each pixel of the tooth image. This is represented schematically in FIGS. 7A and 7B. FIG. 7A shows the color data gathered for a single pixel P using conventional color-measuring approaches. In the example shown, a single data value is provided for each of the Red, Green, and Blue color planes. By contrast, FIG. 7B shows the nature of the spectral reflectance mapping data that is obtained for each pixel using the methods of the present invention. Here, each pixel P effectively has an associated spectral reflectance curve that provides a substantial amount of information on its actual color content, from which tristimulus values X, Y, Z or other color data can be derived. In practice, only a small amount of data may actually be stored in memory for each pixel P following this processing; the spectral reflectance curve itself can be reconstructed using the stored matrix of coefficients obtained as described earlier. In memory storage, then, each pixel can be associated with a set of spectral reflectance values and, optionally, also have a link or other identifier for an interpolating matrix that is capable of re-creating the full spectral reflectance curve for that pixel. Alternately, calculated tristimulus values, CIELAB values, or values in other standard color space could be stored for each pixel P.

One advantageous result of having spectral reflectance data values is improved color matching between dental objects, such as between a tooth and a prosthetic device or material. Using the data acquisition and processing sequence of the present invention, color matching can be accomplished using any of a number of mathematical techniques. In one embodiment, the spectral reflectance curve for a dental object A is compared with the spectral reflectance curve for a dental object B and differences between the two curves are evaluated for closeness of fit or other metric. For example, the overlap area between two curves over different wavelength ranges can be evaluated. In other embodiments, tristimulus data values or CIELAB color values are obtained for each of the dental objects and are compared.

The method and apparatus of the present invention employ a sensor array 34 as the detector in order to obtain a mapping with highly accurate color information. This component can include an arrangement of multiple CMOS or CCD sensors, typically assigned one per pixel. In one embodiment, a broadband monochrome sensor array is used. However, it is also possible to employ a sensor array that is configured for R, G, B color sensing, or configured for some other color space characteristics. Methods of obtaining spectral reflectance data in the present invention can be similarly applied to such devices, as has been discussed earlier. It should be noted that pixel spacing can be varied for color matching, so that multiple sensor sites in sensor array 44 are grouped or clustered together, such as to obtain an averaged value, for example. Because the color measurement apparatus of the present invention uses an imaging sensor array, the same device that is used for conventional intra-oral color imaging can be configurable for both imaging and color measurement modes of operation. Referring to the schematic block diagram of FIG. 3, for example, color imaging can be performed by changing the pattern of illumination from the illumination apparatus 24, the resolution of the sensor array 34, and the color processing provided from control logic processor 38. A mode switch (not shown) or mode control command issued from an operator interface can be provided in order to set the operating mode of apparatus 40 for either conventional imaging or tooth color mapping.

Illumination apparatus 24 of the present invention employs multi-color LEDs in one embodiment. However, other light sources that can provide multiple color illumination could alternately be employed, including other types of solid-state light sources or more conventional lamps or lamps equipped with color filters.

Initial and periodic calibration of color measuring and spectral reflectance mapping apparatus 40 is needed in order to compensate for component aging and drift, so that the profile of each LED in illumination source 12 can be maintained and regularly updated.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to a presently preferred embodiment, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalents thereof are intended to be embraced therein.

PARTS LIST

-   10. Imaging apparatus -   12. Illumination source -   14 b, 14 g, 14 r, 14 y. LED -   18. Capture apparatus -   20. Tooth -   22. Color reconstruction apparatus -   24. Illumination apparatus -   28. Reference target -   30. Imaging apparatus -   32. Lens -   34. Sensor array -   36. Color calibration transform -   38. Control logic processor -   40. Color measuring and spectral reflectance mapping apparatus -   44. Sensor array -   46. Spectral reflectance interpolation model -   S110. Illumination step -   S120. Image capture step -   S130. Obtain values step -   S140. Interpolation step -   S150. Calculation step -   λ1, λ2, λ3, λ4. Wavelength band -   P. Pixel 

1. A method for obtaining a color mapping for a dental object, the method, comprising: directing illumination toward the dental object over at least two wavelength bands, one wavelength band at a time; capturing, on an imaging array, an image of the dental object at each of the at least two wavelength bands to form a set of images of the dental object; for each of a plurality of pixels in the captured set of images: (i) obtaining an image data value for the pixel corresponding to each of the at least two wavelength bands; and (ii) calculating a plurality of interpolated image data values proportional to the spectral reflectance of the dental object, according to the obtained image data values and according to image data values obtained from a reference object at the at least two wavelength bands; obtaining spectral distribution data for a viewing illuminant; reconstructing the visual color of the dental object according to the calculated interpolated image data values and the obtained spectral distribution of the viewing illuminant; and storing, transmitting, or displaying at least the reconstructed visual color of the dental object.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein directing illumination comprises energizing one or more LEDs.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating the plurality of interpolated image data values comprises determining a set of interpolation coefficients for the obtained image data values.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein calculating the plurality of interpolated image data values further comprises generating a reflectance curve as a function of wavelength from the set of interpolation coefficients.
 5. The method of claim 3 further comprising calculating visual color values from the set of interpolation coefficients.
 6. The method of claim 3 wherein calculating visual color values comprises computing a product of the set of interpolation coefficients and the obtained image data values.
 7. The method of claim 4 further comprising calculating visual color values from the reflectance curve.
 8. The method of claim 1 further comprising capturing, on the imaging array, an image of the reference at each of the at least two wavelength bands.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the reference object is captured within the same image as that of the dental object.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein the reference object is captured as a separate image from that of the dental object.
 11. The method of claim 8 wherein the reference object is a test patch associated with an intra-oral imaging device.
 12. The method of claim 8 wherein the reference object is a test patch that is a standalone target.
 13. The method of claim 8 wherein the image of the reference object is used to correct the set of image data values of the dental object.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein the imaging array is a color sensor array.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein the dental object is taken from the group consisting of a tooth, a color matching guide, a dental prosthesis, and a dental material.
 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the visual color values are tristimulus values, CIELAB values, HSV values, or other equivalent values in a standard color space.
 17. The method of claim 4 wherein the dental object is a first dental object and further comprising obtaining the reflectance curve for a second dental object and comparing the reflectance curve for the first and second dental objects in order to calculate a color match.
 18. The method of claim 1 wherein the dental object is a first dental object and further comprising comparing reconstructed visual color with a second dental object to calculate a color match. 